US3952183A - Sheet counting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A neat arrangement such as a pack of bills or like sheets to be counted is placed on one of their longitudinal edges in a sheet stand formed on the top of the casing of a sheet counting apparatus. An infeed mechanism comprising first and second infeed rolls frictionally feed the sheets one by one into the apparatus. A pair of sensing rolls are mounted under the second infeed rolls for sensing the passage thereover of each sheet thus fed into the apparatus and hence for actuating a counter switch. The thus counted sheets are successively loaded on a conveyor mechanism at one end thereof and are thereby transported toward the other end, where the successive counted sheets are stacked for recovery purposes. The apparatus further comprises an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the sheets in the sheet stand and in the recovery mechanism according to their size and a stop motion mechanism for instantly terminating the infeeding operation of the sheets.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apparatus for counting bills, bank notes, security papers, cards, or like sheets of paper (hereinafter generally referred to as "sheets").

Sheet counting apparatus of the type now under consideration usually comprises a sheet stand for holding a neat pack of sheets to be counted, and an infeed mechanism for feeding, either frictionally or by suction, successive sheets to the next stage in the apparatus. The sheets thus supplied into the apparatus are counted before they are transported to a prescribed recovery position. The suction-type infeed mechanism, usually employing a movable suction head mounted opposite to the sheet stand, is disadvantageous in that it makes the overall apparatus inconveniently bulky and complex in construction because there must be incorporated therein a vacuum pump or the like communicating with the suction head and a mechanism for causing the desired intricate movement of the suction head.

The friction-type infeed mechanism, utilizing one or more rolls rotatably mounted for frictional circumferential contact with the foremost one of the sheets in the sheet stand, can make the sheet counting apparatus far simpler and less expensive in construction. However, this type of apparatus tends also to become bulky in size because the counting and some other constituent mechanisms of the apparatus are arranged along the path of travel of the successive sheets from the sheet stand to the recovery mechanism. In order to minimize the size of the apparatus, the counting and like mechanisms should be positioned as close as possible to the sheet stand.

Another problem accompanying the prior art sheet counting apparatus concerns its counting mechanism which heretofore has utilized either a phototube or microswitch. The service life of the phototube-type counting mechanism is significantly reduced if the spacings between the successive sheets traveling past the phototube are irregular, because such irregularity adversely affects the electrical circuitry of the mechanism. Furthermore, the inevitable dust accumulation on the phototube impairs its proper functioning. The microswitch as used in the conventional counting mechanism has ordinarily been positioned midway along the path of travel of the successive sheets from the sheet stand to the recovery mechanism, so as to respond to the thickness of each sheet traveling therepast. The microswitch thus arranged is required to be highly sensitive and tends to operate erroneously in the event the sheets are supplied irregularly from the sheet stand.

A further difficulty accompanying the piror art apparatus makes its appearance when the same is employed for counting bills of various denominations, which ordinarily differ in size. The various parts of the prior art apparatus have mostly been designed to accommodate sheets of predetermined dimensions only. For counting bills or other sheets of various sizes by a single apparatus, therefore, several interchangeable sheet stands, sheet recovery receptacles and the like have had to be prepared for the respective sizes of sheets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the listed difficulties encountered in the prior art, it is an object of this invention to provide improved sheet counting apparatus with a friction-type infeed mechanism, wherein the various constituent mechanisms of the apparatus are so arranged as to minimize the bulk of the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet counting apparatus of the type described, a counting mechanism which is simple and inexpensive in construction and reliable in operation, and which is arranged sufficiently close to the sheet stand of the apparatus so that no special space is required within the apparatus for accommodating the counting mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet counting apparatus of the type described, an adjusting mechanism whereby the position of the sheets in the sheet stand and in a sheet recovery mechanism is easily adjustable, as by the manual turn of a knob, in accordance with their size so that the apparatus is made capable of handling bills or like sheets of various known sizes with equal efficiency.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet counting apparatus of the type described, a friction-type infeed mechanism whereby the sheets in the sheet stand can be unfailingly supplied only one by one into the apparatus, so that the reliability of the apparatus with the friction-type infeed mechanism is materially enhanced.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in the sheet counting apparatus of the type described, a sheet recovery mechanism which permits the counted sheets to be withdrawn from the apparatus in the form of a neat stack regardless of their size.

Briefly summarized, this invention contemplates the provision of sheet counting apparatus including a sheet stand in which a batch of sheets to be counted is placed in a neat arrangement on one of their edges. An infeed mechanism arranged forwardly of the sheet stand comprises first and second infeed rolls disposed in parallel, spaced relationship to each other for frictionally feeding the successive foremost ones of the sheets away from the sheet stand. Counting means positioned close to the sheet stand includes at least one sensing roll displaceably mounted under the second infeed roll so as to be displaced a predetermined distance by each sheet traveling thereover, and a counter switch operatively connected to the sensing roll is actuated each time the latter is thus displaced. A conveyor mechanism typically comprising a plurality of parallel, spaced endless belts receives at one extremity thereof the successive counted sheets from between the second infeed roll and the sensing roll and transports the sheets to the other extremity, where the counted sheets are successively stacked up by a recovery mechanism for easy withdrawal from within the apparatus.

The features which are believed to be novel and characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sheet counting apparatus constructed in accordance with the concepts of this invention, in which the casing and the sheet recovery mechanism are shown partly broken away to illustrate the inner details of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line II--II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 2 and explanatory of the operating condition of the sheet counting apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view explanatory of the gate mechanism of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c) are schematic side elevational views explanatory of the operating principles of the infeed mechanism of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are also schematic side elevational views showing a modification of the configuration shown in FIGS. 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c);

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the adjusting mechanism of the sheet counting apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the stop motion mechanism of the apparatus; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view explanatory of the operation of the stop motion mechanism shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be seen from FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the sheet counting apparatus illustrated therein by way of a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a substantially box-like casing of framework 1 having asheet stand 2 formed on its top adjacent the rear end of the apparatus, seen to the left in FIGS. 2 and 3. A neat pack of rectangular sheets S to be counted is to be manually placed in thissheet stand 2 so as to stand on one of their longitudinal edges, as will be later described. Aninfeed mechanism 3 is provided on the forward side of thesheet stand 2 for feeding the sheets S into the apparatus one by one.

Asheet recovery mechanism 4 is also arranged on the top of the framework 1 adjacent the front end thereof for recovery of the successive sheets which have been counted within the apparatus. Aconveyor mechanism 5 extends from under theinfeed mechanism 3 to therecovery mechanism 4 for the transport to the latter of the successive sheets fed into the apparatus by the infeed mechanism. A counting mechanism 6 (not shown in FIG. 3) arranged under thesheet stand 2 coacts with theinfeed mechanism 3 for counting the successive sheets as they are fed into the apparatus.

Arranged under theinfeed mechanism 3 and theconveyor mechanism 5 is anadjusting mechanism 7 adapted for the manual adjustment of the position of the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 and in therecovery mechanism 4 in accordance with their size. Astop motion mechanism 8 on the forward side of thesheet stand 2 includes means for pushing back the pack of sheets S in the sheet stand during operation of the apparatus, in order to instantly suspend or nullify the infeeding motion of the infeedmechanism 3.

The various mechanisms listed in the foregoing constitute the principal, but not necessary essential, components of the sheet counting apparatus according to the invention, and these mechanisms are hereinafter described in more specific aspects thereof under respective headings.

SHEET STAND

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, thesheet stand 2 includes a rearwardlyinclined back plate 10 rigidly coupled at its lower end to an L-shaped handle 11 so as to be slidable back and forth over the bottom of the sheet stand consisting of a pair of spaced apartstationary plates 12 and amovable plate 13 sandwiched therebetween in coplanar relationship. The structural and functional details of themovable bottom plate 13 of thesheet stand 2 will be later described in connection with the infeedmechanism 3. Theback plate 10 and the handle 11 are further interconnected by abracket 14 so as to be solidly retained in their desired relative positions as shown in FIG. 2.

The aforesaid L-shaped handle 11 is rigidly coupled to aguide 15 of U-shaped cross section riding overrolls 16 and 17 rotatably mounted on theirrespective shafts 18 and 19. Theguide 15 is biased forwardly by a tension spring 20, so that the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 are urged toward theinfeed mechanism 3 by theback plate 10. A microswitch 21 is adapted to be actuated by apin 22 projecting downwardly from theguide 15 when the handle 11 is manually pulled backward against the bias of the tension spring 20 to load the sheets S in thesheet stand 2. This microswitch may be utilized, for example, for resetting a sheet counter, not shown, of thecounting mechanism 6.

INFEED MECHANISM

The principles underlying the operation of the infeedmechanism 3 will be understood from the following description of the diagrammatic views of FIGS. 5 and 6. Referring first to FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c), first and second infeedrolls 50 and 51 are rotatably mounted in parallel, spaced relationship to each other adjacent both longitudinal edges, respectively, of the pack of sheets S in thesheet stand 2. The first infeedroll 50 is of exactly cylindrical shape, and its entire circumference is capable of frictional contact with the foremost one of the sheets S in thesheet stand 2. The second infeedroll 51 is also of substantially cylindrical shape except for acircumferential portion 52 of greater radius provided longitudinally thereon, and this circumferential portion only of the second infeed roll is capable of frictional contact with the foremost sheet.

Acam roll 53 is mounted coaxially with the second infeedroll 51 for joint rotation therewith. Thiscam roll 53 has acircumferential portion 54 of greater radius which is a predetermined angle out of phase with thegreater radius portion 52 on the second infeedroll 51. The second infeed roll and the cam roll are held in constant rotation during operation of the apparatus. Anintermediate roll 55 is rotatably mounted between the first infeedroll 50 and thecam roll 53 for frictional contact with the entire circumference of the former and with thegreater radius portion 54 of the latter. Thereference numeral 56 denotes a sensing roll of thecounting mechanism 6 which is rotatably and displaceably mounted under thesecond infeed roll 51 and which is spring-actuated into circumferential contact with thegreater radius portion 52 of the second infeed roll.

In the operation of the configuration schematically represented in FIG. 5, the rotation of thefirst infeed roll 50 is initiated via theintermediate roll 55 when thegreater radius portion 54 on the constantly rotatingcam roll 53 moves into frictional contact with the latter, as will be seen from FIG. 5(a). The thus initiated rotation of thefirst infeed roll 50 continues as long as theintermediate roll 55 remains in frictional contact with thegreater radius portion 54 on thecam roll 53. In the meantime the foremost one of the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 becomes partly folded about its approximately central longitudinal axis as its upper edge slides downwardly relative to the next sheet by friction exerted by thefirst infeed roll 50.

Succeedingly, thegreater radius portion 52 on thesecond infeed roll 51 in constant rotation moves into frictional contact with the foremost sheet which has been partly separated from the rest of the sheets by thefirst infeed roll 50, thereby feeding the foremost sheet further downwardly toward thesensing roll 56. Thegreater radius portion 52 on thesecond infeed roll 51 and thesensing roll 56 thereafter cooperate to carry the foremost sheet away from the rest of the sheets, as illustrated in FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c).

The above procedure is repeated as thegreater radius portion 54 on thecam roll 53 revolves again into frictional contact with theintermediate roll 55 to resume the rotation of thefirst infeed roll 50. Each foremost sheet in thesheet stand 2 is thus successively carried away from the rest of the sheets S. It will be apparent that thefirst infeed roll 50 and theintermediate roll 55 are both held out of rotation while each foremost sheet is being transported away from thesheet stand 2 by thesecond infeed roll 51 and thesensing roll 56, and that the first infeed roll is set in rotation via the intermediate roll to partly separate the next foremost sheet from the rest of the sheets S when the preceding sheet has completely been carried away from the sheet stand. Such intermittent rotation of thefirst infeed roll 50 is effected by thecam roll 53 in cooperation with theintermediate roll 55, in such a way that the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 can unfailingly be fed one by one into the next stage in the sheet counting apparatus.

Although not directly associated with the sheet counting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration schematically illustrated in FIG. 6 is also effective to feed the successive sheets S into the apparatus through a similar procedure. Thecam roll 53 of the FIG. 5 configuration is here replaced by adrive roll 57 of the usual cylindrical shape. Thedrive roll 57 is mounted coaxially with thesecond infeed roll 51 for joint rotation therewith and is adapted for continuous driving relationship with thefirst infeed roll 50 via theintermediate roll 55. Thefirst infeed roll 50 thus held in constant rotation, however, is not held in constant contact with each foremost one of the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 as in the FIG. 5 configuration. Instead, the first infeed roll is pivotable about the axis of theintermediate roll 55 and is retained in its retracted position away from the sheets S while each foremost sheet is being carried away from thesheet stand 2 by thesecond infeed roll 51 in cooperation with thesensing roll 56.

The pivoting motion of thefirst infeed roll 50 about the axis of theintermediate roll 55 is timed with the angular position of thegreater radius portion 52 on thesecond infeed roll 51 in such a way that the first infeed roll retracts from the sheets S when the greater radius portion on the second infeed roll turns into abutting contact with each foremost sheet which has been partly separated from the rest of the sheets by the first infeed roll, as shown in FIG. 6(a). When the foremost sheet is completely carried away from thesheet stand 2 by thesecond infeed roll 51 and thesensing roll 56, thefirst infeed roll 50 moves back into frictional contact with the next foremost sheet in the sheet stand, as will be seen from FIG. 6(b). Such reciprocal pivoting motion of thefirst infeed roll 50 may be effected by means such as a crank mechanism, not shown, operating in relation to the rotation of thesecond infeed roll 51 and thedrive roll 57.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, theinfeed mechanism 3 of the sheet counting apparatus illustrated therein includes a pair of longitudinally spaced second infeed rolls 51 fixedly mounted on adrive shaft 58. Agate roll 59 is also fixedly mounted on thedrive shaft 58 between the pair of second infeed rolls 51, the gate roll being of substantially the same diameter as the second infeed rolls. Further fixedly mounted on thedrive shaft 58 adjacent one end thereof are a drivingcam roll 53 and abraking cam roll 60. The drivingcam roll 53 has thegreater radius portion 54 on its circumference, indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2, which is adapted for frictional contact with the circumference of theintermediate roll 55 which in turn is held in constant frictional circumferential contact with a driven roll 61 mounted on the samerotatable shaft 62 as thefirst infeed roll 50 for joint rotation therewith. The counterclockwise rotation, as viewed in FIG. 2, of thedrive shaft 58 is thus conveyed intermittently to thefirst infeed roll 50 to cause the same also to rotate in the counterclockwise direction.

Instead of thegreater radius portion 52 set forth in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the second infeed rolls 51 has what may be termed africtional contact portion 63, FIG. 4, on its circumference the circumferential length of which may be slightly less than the width of each sheet to be fed into the apparatus. Typically, thefrictional contact portion 63 may take the form of a sheet of rubber or like material capable of frictional contact with the surface of each sheet to be fed into the apparatus, such sheet of rubber or the like being cemented onto the desired part of the circumference of eachsecond infeed roll 51.

Theinfeed mechanism 3 includes a brake mechanism adapted to restrain thefirst infeed roll 50 from any inertial rotation at the conclusion of each intermittent rotation. The brake mechanism includes thebraking cam roll 60 having a greater radius portion 64 on its circumference, indicated by the dot-and-dash line in FIG. 2, which is completely reversed in phase relationship with respect to thegreater radius portion 54 on the drivingcam roll 53. A cam follower roll 65 to be actuated by thisbraking cam roll 60 is rotatably supported on one end of anarm 66 which is pivoted at the other end thereof on the shaft 67 rotatably supporting theintermediate roll 55. Abrake element 68 of cylindrical shape is mounted intermediate both ends of thearm 66 for abutting contact with the circumference of the driven roll 61. Thus, each time the greater radius portion 64 on thebraking cam roll 60 revolves into sliding contact with thecam follower roll 65, thearm 66 swings clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, on the shaft 67 thereby urging thebrake element 68 into abutting contact with the driven roll 61 and hence restraining thefirst infeed roll 50 from inertial rotation.

Since the rotation of thefirst infeed roll 50 is thus forcibly arrested at the instant each foremost sheet is released therefrom by shifting down toward the second infeed rolls 51, the first infeed roll is effective to frictionally retain the next sheet in position on thesheet stand 2 during the succeeding infeeding motion of the foremost sheet by the second infeed rolls. It is possible in this manner to substantially preclude the possibility of two sheets being fed simultaneously into the apparatus.

Theinfeed mechanism 3 further includes a gate mechanism adapted to make doubly sure that the sheets S will be fed into the apparatus only one by one. The gate mechanism includes theaforesaid gate roll 59 which is fixedly mounted on thedrive shaft 58 for joint rotation with the second infeed rolls 51 and which is adapted to define a gate spacing between its circumference and the opposed edge of themovable bottom plate 13 of thesheet stand 2, as will be best understood from FIG. 4. The gate spacing is adjustable by means later described so that only one sheet will be permitted to pass therethrough at one time.

Desirably, a sheet of rubber or like material capable of frictional contact with each sheet to be fed into the apparatus is also cemented onto part of the circumference of thegate roll 59 in the same phase relationship to thefrictional contact portions 63 of the second infeed rolls 51, as indicated at 69 in FIG. 2, so that gate roll will coact with the second infeed rolls to frictionally carry each foremost one of the sheets S away from thesheet stand 2. It should be noted that thefrictional contact portions 63 of the second infeed rolls 51 and the frictional contact portion 69 of thegate roll 59 are both made substantially equal in radius to the other circumferential portions of the second infeed rolls and the gate roll in the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment. However, as indicated at 70 in FIG. 2, each of the second infeed rolls only has an indentation formed on its circumference forwardly of thefrictional contact portion 63 with respect to its direction of rotation. By the provision of theseindentations 70, the aforesaid gate spacing can be defined only by the circumference of thegate roll 59 and the opposed edge of themovable bottom plate 13 of thesheet stand 2.

In order to adjust the gate spacing to the thickness of each sheet to be fed into the apparatus, themovable bottom plate 13 of thesheet stand 2 is slidably mounted on astationary support 71. An array ofbolts 72 extending through themovable bottom plate 13 are slidably received in respective slots formed through the stationary 71, so that the movable bottom plate is constrained in front-and-rear sliding motion relative to the stationary support. Themovable bottom plate 13 terminates at its rear end in a down turnedflange 73, and an adjustingbolt 74 extends through this flange to be somewhat loosely received in a bore 75 formed in thestationary support 71. Themovable bottom plate 13 is biased forwardly by a tension spring 76. Thus, by manually rotating the nut on the adjustingbolt 74, the position of the movable bottom plate on thestationary support 71 is varied to adjust the gate spacing to the thickness of each sheet to be counted.

When the sheet counting apparatus is operated for any extended length of time, however, the frictional contact portion 69 of thegate roll 59 may expand in bulk due to the heat generated by its repeated frictional contact with each sheet fed into the apparatus, thereby significantly narrowing the preset gate spacing. In order to prevent this, amass 77 of material having the same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion as that of the frictional contact portion 69 is packed in the bore 75. The horizontal dimension of thismass 77 of thermally expansible material should be suitably determined in relation to the thickness of the frictional contact portion 69 on the circumference of thegate 59 and also with the material in use. Thematerial mass 77 is subject to thermal expansion due to some vibratory motion produced by theinfeed mechanism 3 with a resultant rearward displacement of themovable bottom plate 13 via the adjustingbolt 74, whereby the gate spacing can be held constant throughout the prolonged use of the apparatus.

COUNTING MECHANISM

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, thecounting mechanism 6 includes one or more (two in this embodiment) sensing rolls 56 each rotatably supported on one end of abracket 100 under the second infeed rolls 51 with a slight spacing therebetween. Thebracket 100 at the other end is fixedly mounted on rotatable shaft 101 so as to be pivotable about its axis, and anarm 102 is also fixedly mounted on this rotatable shaft 101 at one end thereof for swinging movement in step with thebracket 100. Thearm 102 carries twoswitches 103 and 104 in longitudinally spaced positions adjacent the other end thereof. Theswitch 103 may be called the counter switch, and theswitch 104 the fault detector switch. Abracket 105 is affixed to the framework 1 for supportingswitch actuators 106 and 107 associated with respective switches. Thearm 102 is biased toward thebracket 105 by atension spring 108.

Although the electrical details are not specifically illustrated because of their common and well known nature, it is assumed that thecounter switch 103 is connected to a counter of known construction which counts the pulses delivered therefrom, and thefault detector switch 104 is connected to thestop motion mechanism 8 to be later described. Thecounter switch 103 produces a pulse signal when actuated as a result of a clockwise swing, as viewed in FIG. 2, of thearm 102 by the passage of each sheet between the second infeed rolls 51 and the sensing rolls 56. Thefault detector switch 104 produces a pulse signal only upon simultaneous passage of two or more sheets between the second infeed rolls and the sensing rolls, because then the angle of swing of thearm 102 is greater than that caused upon passage of one sheet therebetween. The signal thus produced by thefault detector switch 104 may be utilized to actuate not only thestop motion mechanism 8 but suitable means, not shown, for automatic removal of the two or more superimposed sheets from within the apparatus. The positions of theswitch actuators 106 and 107 relative to therespective switches 103 and 104 are easily adjustable as by use of adjusting bolts or the like as the switch actuators.

It is noteworthy that theswitches 103 and 104 need not be so-called microswitches or of any special type or class. Ordinary switches are employable if their positions on thearm 102 are appropriately varied in accordance with the distances their movable contacts are required to travel for proper actuation. This leads to substantial economy in manufacturing costs. It will be apparent that, contrary to the arrangement in the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment, theswitches 103 and 104 can be mounted on thebracket 105, and theswitch actuators 106 and 107 on thearm 102. This alternative arrangement is advantageous in that less load is imposed upon thearm 102.

CONVEYOR MECHANISM

Also as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, theconveyor mechanism 5 extending from theinfeed mechanism 3 to therecovery mechanism 4 includes a plurality of parallel, spacedendless conveyor belts 150 extending in substantially coplanar relationship aroundterminal pulleys 151 and 152 andintermediate pulleys 153. Thesepulleys 151, 152 and 153 are rotatably supported by their respective shafts arranged transversely of the sheet counting apparatus. Thepulleys 151 are drive pulleys coupled to adrive motor 154 via abelt drive 155. A plurality ofstar wheels 156 are rotatably mounted adjacent the rear or receiving end of theconveyor mechanism 5 so as to be in peripheral contact with the upper spans of the respectiveendless conveyor belts 150. The functioning of these star wheels will be later made apparent in connection with thesheet recovery mechanism 4.

RECOVERY MECHANISM

With particular reference to FIG. 2, thesheet recovery mechanism 4 includes avertical guide plate 200 secured to the framework 1 of the sheet counting apparatus. A substantially horizontalsheet holder plate 201 is secured at its rear end to amember 202 which rotatably supports a plurality ofrollers 203 arranged so as to embrace theguide plate 200. Thus, as the sheets which have been sucessively fed into the apparatus by theinfeed mechanism 3 and counted by thecounting mechanism 6 are gradually stacked on or adjacent the front end of theconveyor mechanism 5, theshaft holder plate 201 is raised by degrees along theguide plate 200 via therollers 203, as will be understood from FIG. 3. Thesheet holder plate 201 thus functions to hold the gradually increasing stack of sheets in position on theconveyor mechanism 5.

It should be noted that, as will be seen from a consideration of FIG. 3, theaforesaid star wheels 156 are so positioned on therespective conveyor belts 150 that their teeth will engage the trailing edge of each sheet which has been transported to its proper recovery position under thesheet holder plate 201. Since the trailing edges of the sheets stacked under thesheet holder plate 201 are thus raised off the surfaces of theconveyor belts 150, each successive sheet can be fed properly under the stack of preceding sheets.

ADJUSTING MECHANISM

As best illustrated in FIG. 7, theadjusting mechanism 7 includes aknob 250 located in an easily accessible position on the outside of the apparatus and fixedly mounted on one end of arotatable shaft 251 arranged under thesheet stand 2. Twocams 252 and 253 are also fixedly mounted on therotatable shaft 251. Thecam 252 is adapted to operatively engage acam follower roll 254 mounted intermediate the two ends of avertical arm 255. Thearm 255 is pivotally supported at its bottom end means such as apin 256 and terminates at its top end in aguide 257 extending over the bottom of thesheet stand 2 adjacent one lateral end thereof. Thearm 255 is constrained in swinging motion on thepin 256 in the transverse direction of the apparatus by aguide rod 258 loosely extending therethrough. Thecam follower roll 254 is urged into abutment on thecam 252 by ahelical compression spring 259 wound around theguide rod 258.

Abutting on theother cam 253 is acam follower roll 260 rotatably mounted adjacent one end of alink 261 which at the other end is pinned at 262 to avertical arm 263. Thisarm 263 is pivoted by apin 264 at its bottom end and is secured at its top end to anabutment 265 including a pair of fingers extending upwardly at the front end of thesheet recovery mechanism 4 to serve as adjustable stops for the sheets successively transported by theconveyor mechanism 5. Theroll 260 is urged against thecam 253 by aspring 266.

As previously set forth in connection with thecounting mechanism 6, thefault detector switch 104 carried by thearm 102 is actuated when two or more sheets travel in superposition between the second infeed rolls 51 and the sensing rolls 56, thereby detecting the faulty operation of theinfeed mechanism 3. However, the fault detector switch may be similarly actuated even when the sheets are being properly fed one by one, if folds or creases of the sheets, or adhesive tapes of cellophane or the like used to mend cuts in the sheets, happen to pass over the sensing rolls 56. In the case of bills, which are often folded twice into four parts, such folds, creases or cuts are most likely to exist along the transverse lines dividing them into four equal parts. The sensing rolls 56 must therefore be so located relative to thesheet stand 2 as to avoid these transverse lines of the bills. Since the size of the bills usually differ from one denomination to another, their position on thesheet stand 2 must be shifted transversely in accordance with their denomination.

To this end, theknob 250 may be manually rotated to a specific angular position in accordance with the denomination or size of the sheets to be counted. Thecam 252 is then turned to a corresponding angular position via theshaft 251. In accordance with the position in which thecam follower roll 254 is engaged by thecam 252, thearm 255 swings on thepin 256 to shift theguide 257 to such a position on the bottom of thesheet stand 2 that the aforesaid transverse lines of the sheets S will be held out of alignment the sensing rolls 56.

Upon manual turning of theknob 250, theother cam 253 also operates to cause thearm 263 to swing on thepin 264 via thecam follower roll 260 and thelink 261. Theabutment 265 is thus simultaneously shifted either back or forth, to a position determined in accordance with the width of the sheets to be counted, so that the sheets which have been successively transported by theconveyor mechanism 5 can be properly stacked under thesheet holder plate 201.

It will be understood that theadjustable guide 257 is also employable, by suitably modifying the contour of thecam 252, for holding the sheets S in an exactly central position on the sheet stand S regardless of their length or horizontal dimension, in order that the sheets may be stacked centrally under thesheet holder plate 201.

STOP MOTION MECHANISM

The details of thestop motion mechanism 8 are illustrated in FIG. 8. Asolenoid 300 suitably supported by the framework 1 of the apparatus has itsplunger 301 pivotally connected to alink 302 at one end thereof. The other end of thelink 302 is also pivotally connected to one end of alever 303 fixedly mounted at its mid-point on theshaft 62 rotatably supporting thefirst infeed roll 50 of theinfeed mechanism 3. Thelever 303 carries acam follower roll 304 on the other end thereof which roll abuts on the stepped circumference of acam 305 fixedly mounted on thedrive shaft 58 of theinfeed mechanism 3. During operation of the apparatus, therefore, thecam 305 imparts oscillatory motion to thelever 303 via thecam follower roll 304.

Also fixedly mounted on theshaft 62 arearms 306 and 307. Thearm 306 terminates in aroll 308 abutting on the sheets S in thesheet stand 2 at a point adjacent the lower edge thereof. Since thelever 303 is oscillated as aforesaid by thecam 305, theroll 308 is effective to impart vibratory motion to each foremost one of the sheets S in thesheet stand 2, thereby aiding in the infeeding operation of themechanism 3. The tip of theother arm 307 is held a predetermined distance away from the foremost one of the sheets S.

A restoringspring 309 extends between thelink 302 and astationary part 310 to return theplunger 301 to its advanced position upon deenergization of thesolenoid 300. Mounted adjacent thesolenoid 300 is a manuallyactuable locking lever 311 which, when depressed while the solenoid is being energized, engages and locks theplunger 301 in its retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 9. Upon manual depression of the lockinglever 311, aswitch 312 is simultaneously actuated to terminate the operation of thedrive motor 154 which drives theconveyor mechanism 5 and, via means not shown in the drawings, theinfeed mechanism 3.

During normal operation of the apparatus, thesolenoid 300 is held unenergized, so that itsplunger 301 is held in its advanced position to retain the tip of thearm 307 in its inoperative position away from the sheets S in thesheet stand 2. By rotation imparted to thedrive shaft 58 from themotor 154, theinfeed mechanism 3 operates in the above described manner to feed each foremost one of the sheets S into the apparatus, aided by theoscillating roll 308 at the tip of thearm 306.

However, when a desired number of sheets has been counted, or when thefault detector switch 104 is actuated, thesolenoid 300 becomes energized via means well known to those skilled in the art, thereby causing theplunger 301 to move to its retracted position against the bias of thetension spring 309. Since thelever 303 is thereupon turned counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 8, with theshaft 62 via thelink 302, thearms 306 and 307 simultaneously swing toward the sheets S to push the same rearwardly against theback plate 10 best illustrated in FIG. 2. With the sheets S thus moved out of contact with the infeed rolls 50 and 51, no more sheets can be fed into the apparatus in spite of the continued operation of theinfeed mechanism 3.

After the infeeding operation by themechanism 3 has been terminated in the above described manner, the lockinglever 311 may be manually depressed to lock theplunger 301 in its retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 9. Theswitch 312 is simultaneously actuated to cut off the electric power supply of the apparatus, whereby thedrive motor 154 is stopped while thesolenoid 300 becomes deenergized. It will be apparent that theplunger 301 is retained in its retracted position in spite of this solenoid deenergization, so that there is practically no possibility of additional sheets being fed accidentally into the apparatus. The operation of the apparatus can be resumed by pulling the lockinglever 311 up to the FIG. 8 position out of engagement with theplunger 301 of thesolenoid 300.

GENERAL OPERATION

As will be seen from FIG. 2, the neat pack of sheets S to be counted is first placed in thesheet stand 2 by manually pulling the L-shaped handle 11 rearward against the force of the tension spring 20. Upon release of the handle 11, the spring 20 imposes a suitable forward force on the sheets S via theback plate 10. As thedrive motor 154 is succeedingly set in operation, its rotation is imparted simultaneously to the second infeed rolls 51 and gate roll 59 of theinfeed mechanism 3 and to the drive pulleys 151 of theconveyor mechanism 5 thereby initiating the operations of thesemechanisms 3 and 5. Theinfeed mechanism 3 operates in the fashion described to feed each foremost one of the sheets S into the apparatus.

As each sheet from thesheet stand 2 travels over the sensing rolls 56 of thecounting mechanism 6, the sensing rolls are displaced downward a distance corresponding to the thickness of the sheet thereby causing thearm 102 to swing clockwise through a corresponding angle. Thecounter switch 103 is thus actuated, and the counter (not shown) counts the pulses delivered from thiscounter switch 103 each time the same is actuated. Thefault detector switch 104 also mounted on thearm 102 is actuated only when two or more sheets pass in superposition over the sensing rolls 56 because, then, the arm will be caused to swing through a greater angle. Thesolenoid 300 of thestop motion mechanism 8 becomes energized upon actuation of thefault detector switch 103, so that the infeeding operation of the sheets S is suspended immediately through the procedure set forth in connection with themechanism 8.

Each sheet that has been properly fed into the apparatus by theinfeed mechanism 3 and counted by thecounting mechanism 6 is then loaded on theendless conveyor belts 150 of theconveyor mechanism 5 at its rear or receiving end and is transported forward until the leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with theabutment 265 whose position is adjustable by theadjusting mechanism 7 in accordance with the width of the sheet. The successive sheets can thus be stacked up under the upwardly movablesheet holder plate 201 of therecovery mechanism 4. It will be recalled that the trailing edges of the stack of sheets under thesheet holder plate 201 are raised off the surfaces of theendless conveyor belts 150 by thestar wheels 156 rotating counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, in frictional contact therewith, so that each successive sheet can be fed properly under the stack of preceding sheets.

When a desired number of the sheets S are thus counted and recovered under thesheet holder plate 201, thesolenoid 300 of thestop motion mechanism 8 becomes energized to cause thearms 306 and 307 to push the remaining sheets S in thesheet stand 2 back against theback plate 10, so that no more sheets can be fed into the apparatus in spite of the continued operation of theinfeed mechanism 3. The rotation of thedrive motor 154 can be terminated by manual depression of the lockinglever 311. Other details of operation are as previously set forth in conjunction with the respectiveconstituent mechanisms 2 through 8 of the apparatus.

It will be understood that theinfeed mechanism 3,recovery mechanism 4,conveyor mechanism 5,stop motion mechanism 8 and so forth of the sheet counting apparatus disclosed herein are employable not only for counting but for other sheet processing purposes, by replacing thecounting mechanism 6 with some other pertinent mechanism.

Having thus described the several useful and novel features of the sheet counting apparatus according to the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the various objects of the invention, either explicitly stated or otherwise set forth, have been fully achieved. However, various modifications of the apparatus as disclosed herein may well occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

What is claimed is:

1. In a sheet counting apparatus, the combination comprising:

a. a casing in which a stack of sheets to be counted is placed on one of their edges;

b. a sheet stand on the top of said casing, said sheet stand including means for exerting a forward pressure on the sheet-stack;

c. infeed means arranged forwardly of said sheet stand, said infeed means including at least one infeed roll which is rotatably mounted adjacent to one edge of the sheets in said sheet stand for frictionally and successively feeding out the foremost one of the sheets of a stack away from said sheet stand;

d. counting means arranged adjacent to said sheet stand for counting number of sheets successively fed from said sheet stand by said infeed means, said counting means including

1. at least one sensing roll rotatably mounted under said infeed roll so as to be displaceable away from said infeed roll in response to travelling of each sheet between said infeed roll and said sensing roll,

2. an arm on which said sensing roll is mounted, said arm being pivotally supported at one end thereof so as to be swingable through an angle corresponding to the degree of displacement of said sensing roll, and

3. a counter switch mounted on the other end of said arm, said counter switch being adapted to be actuated each time when a single sheet travels over the sensing roll;

e. conveyor means having a rear end disposed adjacent to said infeed means and a front end being remote from said infeed means, whereby the successively counted sheets loaded on said conveyor means at said rear end are transported to said front end thereof;

f. recovery means for recovering the counted and transported sheets from said conveyor means in the form of a substantially neat stack, said recovery means including

1. an abutment arranged forwardly of said front end of said conveyor means for stopping the successively counted sheets transported thereby, said abutment being effective to form a stack of the sheets on said front end of said conveyor means, and

2. a sheet holder plate arranged horizontally over said front end of said conveyor means for holding the stack of sheets in position thereon, said sheet holder plate being displaceable upwardly in step with the increase in the height of the stack of sheets; and

g. drive means for driving said infeed means and said conveyor means.

2. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said infeed means has a second infeed roll, said apparatus further including gate means for forming an adjustable gate spacing between said sheet stand and said infeed means, such that only one sheet is permitted to pass therethrough at one time, said gate means comprising:

a. a gate roll rotatably mounted in coaxial relationship to said second infeed roll for joint rotation therewith;

b. a movable plate constituting a part of the bottom of said sheet stand and slidably mounted on a stationary support, said gate spacing being defined between the circumference of said gate roll and the opposed edge of said movable plate;

c. means for constraining said movable plate in movement toward and away from said gate roll relative to said stationary support; and

d. means for adjustably coupling said movable plate to said stationary support, whereby said gate spacing is adjustable in accordance with the thickness of each sheet to be counted.

3. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said gate roll has a frictional contact portion formed on at least a part of its circumference to cooperate with said second infeed roll in frictionally carrying the successive sheets away from said sheet stand, and wherein said gate means includes means for maintaining said gate spacing constant in spite of the possible thermal expansion of said frictional contact portion of said gate roll.

4. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a fault detector switch also mounted on said arm adjacent said other end thereof, said fault detector switch being adapted to be actuated only when at least two sheets travel in superposition over said sending roll.

5. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including stop motion means for instantly terminating the infeeding operation of the sheets in said sheet stand by said infeed means, said stop motion means comprising:

a. a solenoid having a plunger;

b. at least one arm pivotally mounted forwardly of the sheets in said sheet stand; and

c. linkage means operatively connecting said plunger of said solenoid to said arm, whereby, upon energization of said solenoid, said arm is caused to push sheets in said sheet stand backward out of frictional contact with said first and second infeed rolls of said infeed means.

6. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor means comprises a plurality of parallel spaced endless belts extending in substantially coplanar relationship to each other, and wherein said apparatus further includes a plurality of star wheels rotatably supported in frictional contact with the upper spans of the respective endless belts of said conveyor means adjacent said rear end thereof, said star wheels being effective to raise the trailing edges of the sheets which have been transported to said front end of said conveyor means off the surfaces of said endless belts, thereby permitting each succeeding sheet to be fed under the stack of preceding sheets.

7. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including adjusting means for transversely varying the position of the sheets in said sheet stand in accordance with their horizontal dimension, said adjusting means comprising:

a. a guide fixedly mounted on a swingable arm and defining one of the lateral edges of said sheet stand;

b. a manually actuable member fixedly mounted on a rotatable shaft for rotating the same to a prescribed angular position in accordance with the size of the sheets to be counted; and

c. cam means operatively connecting said rotatable shaft to said swingable arm whereby the position of said guide is adjustable transversely of said sheet stand in accordance with the angular position of said rotatable shaft.

8. Sheet counting apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said adjusting means includes means for adjustably varying the position of said abutment of said recovery means in the direction toward and away from said front end of said conveyor means in accordance with the front-to-rear dimension of the sheets to be stacked up thereon, said adjustably varying means comprising:

a. a second swingable arm fixedly supporting said abutment on the free end thereof; and

b. second cam means operatively connecting said rotatable shaft to said second swingable arm via linkage means whereby the position of said abutment is adjustable toward and away from said front end of said conveyor means in accordance with the angular position of said rotatable shaft.

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